Well pump



May 16, 1944.

w. CHURCH WELL PUMP Filed July 5, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J) Zlwucmfm:

14/. L CHURCH Patented May 16, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 2,348,959 wsm'. PUMP Walter L. Church, Houston, Tex. Application July 5, 1941, Serial No. 401,l01

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a well pump and has particular relation to that type of pump specially designed to be lowered into a well tubing and so constructed as to be operable by an operating fluid under pressure to pump the well liquid from the well.

An object of the invention is to provide a pump of the character described having an operating cylinder and a displacement cylinder with plungers in said cylinders and wherein an operating fluid may be employed to actuate the pump plungers to effect discharge of the liquid from the well and the weight of the column of fluid being pumped, either alone or assisted by the application of pressure thereto, may be utilized to actuate the pump plungers to effect the admission of an additional charge of well fluid from the well into the displacement cylinder of the pump.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pump of the character described, the movable parts of which comprise the plungers and valves and wherein the usual sucker rod for manipulating the pump from the ground surface has been dispensed with.

With the above and other objects in view the invention has particular relation to certain novel features of construction, operation and arrangement of parts, examples of which are given in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 shows a side elevation, partly in sec- Figure 2 shows a side view "tion; of thenipper end of the "pump tubing with the pump installed therein.

Figure 3 shows a fragmentary side view of a tubing head for a well showing the pump tubing suspended therein.

Figure 4 shows an enlarged, vertical, sectional view of the pump valves. 1

Figure 5 shows a fragmentary, vertical sectional view showing the position of the pump valves on down, or discharge, stroke of the plungers.

Figure 6 shows a similar view showingthc position of the valves as upon upstroke of the plungers, and

Figure 7 shows a fragmentary, vertical, sectional view or the pump showing the valves in the position they will occupy shown on downstroke of the plungers and showing. in diagram. means for applying an operating fluid to effect discharge stroke of the plungers and for applying pressure to the. column of liquid being pumped to effect upstroke of the plungers.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings wherein like numerals of reference designate the same parts in each of the figures, the numeral 1 designates a pumptubing which is suspended in a well from the. casing head 2 and by means of the slips 3 in the well known manner. The pump is anchored at any suitable location in the tubing beneath the level of the liquid to be pumped.

Extended down into the tubing, the required distance, there is a pressure line 4 to the lower end of which an operating cylinder 5 is connected and beneath said operating cylinder and connected thereto and of a smaller inside diameter there is the displacement, or discharge cylinder- 8. v

Fitted closely within said cylinders and connected to move as a unit'are the operating and displacement plungers I and 8 respectively. Beneath the cylinder 6 there is a valve cage 9 preferably formedof the upper and lower sections 9a, 9b, which are screwed into the lower end of the cylinder 6 as shown more in detail in Figure 4. Within this valve cage 9 are the upper and lower valve seats l0 and II which are controlled by the upwardly, opening ball valves l2 and I3. The upper and lower sections 9a, 912 have the inside annular channels l4, IS, the former of which is located within the lower end of the cylinder 6 and the latter of which is located between said valves. The channels [4, l5 are connected by a plurality of ducts as I6. Leading outwardly from the valve cage, above the valve l2 and into the space between the pump and the pump tubing I there are a plurality of ducts l'l shown more clearly in Figure 4.

A coupling I8 is connected to the lower end of the valve cage and attached to, and depending from, it there is a tube 19 whoselower end is open and provided with a suitable guide plug 20.

Around the tube l9 and abutting the lower end of the coupling l8, there is an expansible packer 2| and around said tube I8 beneath, and abutting the packer there is a wedge ring 22 whose outer side tapers downwardly.

Mounted on the tube l9. there is a slip-supporting sleeve 23 having an inverted J-slot 24 in which aradially extended stud i5, carried by the tube l9, works. 'A plurality of outwardly bowed wiper springs 26 have their lower ends secured to the sleeve 23 and their upper ends free. These wiper springs are in frictional con- 2 tact with the tubing 1 as the pump is lowered and the stud 25 is in the laterally turned upper end of the J-slot 24 at this time.

There are, the flexible arms as 21 whose lower ends are connected to the upper end of the sleeve 23 and whose upper ends carry slips as 23 whose inner sides are upwardly flared to correspond to the taper of the wedge ring 22. It will be noted that when the tube I8 is in its upper position relative to the sleeve 23 and the stud 25 is in the laterally turned end of the J-slot 24, the wedge ring 22 will be above'the slips 2! and said slips 23 will accordingly be retracted from the tubing l and the packer 2| will be collapsed so that the pump may be lowered into the tubing to the desired point by means of the pressure line 4.

When the pump has been lowered to the desired location the pressure line and the appendants thereof may be turned to carry the stud 25 out of said laterally turned end and then lowered, as indicated in Figure 2, the wiper springs 26 meanwhile holding the sleeve 23 stationary and the wedge ring 22 will move down relative to the slips 28 and expand said slips into secure engagement with the walls of the tubing I The outer surfaces of the slips 28 are preferably roughened or toothed in a conventional manner to cause them to readily take hold of the tubing and to anchor the pump in the tubing. The weight now imposed upqn the packer 2|, by a further lowering of the pressure line 4, will cause the said packer to expand and form a fluid tight seal between the pump and the tubing I so that the liquid being pumped will pass upwardly through the tube Ill.

Upon completion of the installation a head 29 will be secured to the upper end of the tubing l and in sealed engagement with the pressure line 4, preferably by means of a stufllng box as 30 shown in Figures 1 and 3.

In the illustration shown in Figures 5, 6 and 7 the construction hereinabove described in detail has been shown, in part, diagrammatically.

An outflow line as 3| leads out from the head 23 in the form illustrated in Figures 1, 3, 5 and 6. The tubing I may be filled with liquid, as shown in Figure 5 and the pressure line may be partly filled with liquid as also illustrated in this figure. An operating fluid, such as gas under compression, may now be supplied into the upper end of the pressure line 4 and this will force the plungers l and 8 downwardly, displacing any liquid that may be in the cylinder 5 beneath the plunger I, said displaced liquid passing out through the duct 32 which leads from the lower end of the cylinder 5 into the space between the pump and the tubing I. At the same time any liquid in the cylinder 6 beneath the plunger 8 will be forced through the ducts l6 into the valve cage between the valves and will lift the valve l2 and pass on out through the duct l'l into said space between the pump and the tubing I as shown in Figure 5. Upon relief of the pressure of the operating fluid, the weight of the liquid in the space between the tubing l and the pump will act, through the duct 32. against the lower endof the plunger 1 operating to lift said plungers and to draw in an additional charge of liquid which will pass upwardly lifting the valve l3, as shown in Figure 6, and passing on up through the ducts l6 into the cylinder 8.

The operating fluid will be admitted from a suitable source of pressure through the supply line 33 and will be applied intermittently, said line 33 being equipped with a conventional type of intermitter indicated generally by the numeral 34 and which includes a valve 35 incorporated into the line 33. In this form of the pump the plungers are actuated alternately by the operating fluid and by the weight of the column of liquid being pumped. As illustrated in Figure 6, liquid is used as an operating fluid and the column of liquid being pumped will fill the tubing I from the packer 2| to the head 29. The application of the liquid in the pressure line 4 will be applied to and relieved from the plunger 1 in the same manner as hereinabove described in, connection with the'illustration shown in Figure 5.

It may be found desirable to apply pressure to the column of liquid being pumped to assist in elevating the plungers as well as to the liquid in the pressure line 4. Means for thispurpose have been illustrated vdiagrammatically in Figure 7 wherein the supply line is designated by the numeral 33a which has the branches 33b and No the former of which may be connected with a suitable source of pressure, such as a pump 3. In this embodiment there is a line 3 la leading out from the head 29 and which has the branches 3 I b, 3 lo. The branch 33!) unites with the branch 3"; and is thereby connected to the pump 36. Theline 3la and its branches are controlled by the valve assembly 31 and the line 336 and its branches are controlled by the valve assembly 33. These valve assemblies include the tumable valves 39, 40 which have the cross channels 4|, 42 and the branch channels 43, 44 respectively leading from said cross channels and at right angles thereto.

The branches 3lc, 33c are connected into a reservoir 45 into which the suction pipe 48 of the pump extends. Leading from this reservoir 45, above the inlet end of said suction pipe, there is a discharge line 41.

When it is desired to apply pressure to the operating fluid in the pressure line 4 the valve 40 may be turned, as shown in Figure '7, to connect the lines 33a and 33b and to close the line 336 and the valve 39 may be turned to connect the lines 3la, 3Ic and to close the line 3"), as shown in Figure 7. Pressure fluid from the pump 36 will then be delivered into the pressure line 4 and the pumpedliquid will be delivered from the well through the lines 31a, 3lc into the reservoir 45 and thence out through the discharge line 41.

When it is desired to deliver pressure fluid into the tubing l to assist in elevating the plunger I, the valve 39 may be turned to connect the lines 3la and 3lb and to close the line He and the valve 40 may be turned to connect the line 334 with the line 330 and to close the line 330, to thus relieve the pressure from the line 4.

In a practical embodiment of this construction, as shown in Figure '7, the valves 39, 40 should be operated automatically and intermittently in proper concert by an automatic valve operating device of well known construction which should be properly timed to eflect the-timing of the pump operation desired.

The drawings and description are illustrative merely while the broad principle of the invention will be defined by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A pump including an outer tubing, an inner pipe within and spaced from said tubing, an operating cylinder, a displacement cylinder and a valve cage all incorporated into the inner pipe,

said cylinders and cage being of substantially the same outside diameter, the operating cylinder having upper and lower inside stops and also having an inlet passageway leading into the lower end thereof from within the outer tubing, the

displacement cylinder being of smaller cross-sectional area than the operating cylinder and being connected thereto and arranged therebeneath, the valve cage having an intake passage- Way and a passageway which discharges into the outer tubing, upper and lower valve seats in the cage, upper and lower upwardly opening valves on said seats for controlling the advance of well liquid upwardly through said intake passageway to the discharge passageway, said valve cage having a series of ducts leading from between the valves and entering the lower end of the displacement cylinder, an operating plunger fitted closely in the operating cylinder and Whose range of movement is'limited by said stops, a displacement plunger fitted closely in the displacement cylinder; said plungers being connected to operate as a unit, the operating plunger being exposed to the pressure of an operating fluid in the inner pipe to be operated solely by said pressure in one direction whereby the displacement plunger may be correspondingly operated to discharge liquid from the displacement cylinder through said ducts and discharge passageway, into the outer'tublng, the lowerend of the operating cylindeibeing exposed, through the inlet passageway into the operating cylinder, to the pressure of the column or liquid in the outer tubing whereby the operating cylinderwill be reciprocated in the other direction solely by the column of fluid in the outer tubing.

2. In a-pump for wells an operating cylinder adapted to be connected to a well tube, a displacement cylinder and a valve cage all connected together in axial alignment and being of substantially the same outside diameter, said operating cylinder having upper and lower inside annular stops and having a bore leading inwardly through the wall of the displacement cylinder, the displacement cylinder being of smaller inside crosssectional area than the operating. cylinder and 4 being connected thereto and arranged therebeneath, the valve cage having an intake passageway and a bore leading from within the cage and discharging outside of the pump, upper and lower valve seats in the cage, upper andlower upwardly openingvalves on the seats for controlling the advance of well liquid upwardly through the intake passageway to said discharge bore, said pump having a series of bores through, the wall thereof leading from between the valves and .en-

tering the lower end of the displacement cylinder, an operating plunger fitted closely in the operating cylinder whose range ofmovement is limited by said stops, a displacement plunger fitted closely in the displacement cylinder, the plungers being connected toloperate asa unit, the upper endorthe operating plunger being exposed to the pressure of an operating fluid in the tube and the lower-end of the operating cylinder being exposed to'the pressure of a column 0! liquid outside of the pump. 1 WALTER Llcmmcrr, 

